Customize a Text Variable

Text variables are used to merge text, such as names or descriptions, into assembled documents. They also merge numbers that are never added, subtracted, and so on, such as telephone numbers, U.S. Social Security numbers, and times of day.

When you create a Text variable, you can add a title or prompt to help the user know what information is required. You can also decide how answers will be formatted when they are merged into the assembled document. Finally, you can add a resource or select advanced options that determine how the variable will be processed and merged into the document.

Once a variable is created, you can edit it at any time. See Edit a Variable.

To edit the properties of a Text variable

Follow the instructions for inserting a variable, selecting Text as the variable type. (See Insert a Variable Field in a Text Template.)
At the Variable Field dialog box, click the Edit Component button. The Text Variable Editor appears.
Make any changes, as described in the following table:

To	Do This
Specify a default format that will be applied to all instances of the variable (except when a field-specific format has been assigned)	Select a format from the Default format drop-down list. (See Format the Variable and How Example Formats are Interpreted.) Optionally, to keep the answer from breaking across lines in the document, select Non-breaking.
Specify an alternate name for the variable	Enter a title in the Title field. See Understand How Component Titles and Prompts are Used for a description of how and when variable titles are used.
Provide users with additional information about the variable	Enter a prompt in the Prompt field. This information replaces the Variable name and Variable title when the variable is presented during the interview. (See Create a Prompt for a Variable.)
Change the height of the answer field that appears in the interview, allowing it to show more than a single line	Either type the number of answer field lines (up to 12) in the Field height field, or click the up or down arrows to select a number. Changing the answer field height affects only how large the answer field appears in the interview—not how long the answer can be. To limit the answer length, enter a number in the Maximum characters field.
Control how an answer is merged in a Word document when the user presses Enter in a multi-line answer field. The type of answer required determines which break should be used. For example, if the user must enter separate paragraphs of text, HotDocs should merge a paragraph break. However, if the user must enter separate lines in a single paragraph (such as lines in an address), HotDocs should insert a line break.	Select Enter key in multi-line answers inserts new paragraph mark ( ¶ ). To control whether line or paragraph breaks are inserted in literal text strings used in computation scripts, see Use Line Breaks, Paragraph Ends, and Tabs in Computation Scripts.
Control the number of characters allowed in the answer	Either type a value in the Maximum characters field, or click the up or down arrows to select a value (up to 15,000 characters).
Control what type of information a user types and format it as they type	Select a pattern from the Pattern drop-down list. (HotDocs provides a telephone number pattern, time of day patterns, and a Social Security number pattern. You can also create your own. See Use Pattern Codes to Create a Custom Pattern.)
Control how the variable is processed during assembly, as well as how its answer appears in the interview and in the assembled document	Click the Advanced tab and select any of the options. (See Control How HotDocs Processes a Variable, Specify the Width of Answer Fields in the Interview, and Control How HotDocs Processes a Variable, respectively.)
Provide users with helpful information that can assist them in providing the correct answer	Click the Resource tab and provide a resource option. (See Add Resource Information to a Variable or Dialog.)
View a list of all components that refer to this variable	Click the Used In tab. (See View Relationship Between the Current Component and Other Components.)
Enter notes about the component, such as an explanation about why the component was created or how it should function in the interview	Click the Notes tab and enter your comments. (See Add Notes to Components for details.)
Save changes to the variable without closing the variable editor	Click Save.